[miharbe]

I hope this is genuine news and not some PR machinery trying to disrupt sales of the Creta! Having said that I am quite excited by this news and a well priced 4x4 AT would be an awesome addition to the lineup. Diwali launch would be a good time to bring this to our shores before the big boys from Ford, Chevrolet, Toyota and Mitsubishi arrive. Should also be a good shot in the arm for the slacking sales.

hope someone at Maruti is reading this and pushes for the AWD + AT combo on the S Cross

[daywiz]

Originally Posted by ram_hyundai

RNMIPL is in works regarding a new Auto box. Nissan calls it DIG-S. Have seen it being tested at the plant. Hope we see it soon. Its almost like the DSG. They were proclaiming that it is even better.

DIG-S is not a transmission. It stands for Direct Injection Gasoline-Supercharged. Its an update to their engines, but i doubt direct injection will be used in India so soon. U cannot have high sulfur content in ur fuels for direct injection and it will have to only the Super (premium) fuel, which means added expense.

[ram_hyundai]

Originally Posted by daywiz

DIG-S is not a transmission. It stands for Direct Injection Gasoline-Supercharged. Its an update to their engines, but i doubt direct injection will be used in India so soon. U cannot have high sulfur content in ur fuels for direct injection and it will have to only the Super (premium) fuel, which means added expense.

The person at the plant told it was a transmission . I have got a logo of the same also with me. Maybe i can stick it on my micra.

[daywiz]

Originally Posted by ram_hyundai

The person at the plant told it was a transmission . I have got a logo of the same also with me. Maybe i can stick it on my micra.

It comes on the micra ( UK version, I know)..not sure about India

[RavenAvi]

The Duster facelift's AT variant was spotted testing by the AutoX team. Interestingly, the AT box was hidden under a paper bag!

We have run into an automatic test mule of the upcoming face-lifted Renault Duster. And as you can see here, all efforts are being made to contain details of this new automatic model that will also be the most major face-lift for the model ever since its launch in India.

The autobox for this engine is a six-speed dual clutch termed as the EDC or Efficient Dual Clutch system. Atleast by name, this new gearbox should work well with the Duster’s fuel efficient nature which gives the 110PS model an ARAI rated figure of 19.64 km/l.

The Renault Duster diesel automatic should also be available in the top-end all-wheel drive model, allowing it to compete with the Mahindra Scorpio four-wheel drive automatic.

Auto X

[geotracks]

Good to see that Renault has finally decided to introduce facelift along with AT gearbox. They should have done this much earlier when Duster sales were high so that they could have maintained the lead.

Now Creta has taken the lead with AT gearbox in the diesel compact SUV segment.

Not sure why Renault delayed this so much, since the AT gearbox was already available in many other countries on the Renault Duster.

[Rahul Bhalgat]

Originally Posted by sarathlal

Motoroids is reporting that the Russian subsidiary of French Car Renault has revealed to the local media that the Renault Duster in four wheel drive (4WD) version would be launched with an automatic transmission in 2015.

Though no details have been made available at present, but the new Duster might get a six speed Efficient Dual Clutch (EDC) that Renault claims to deliver better standard of fuel consumption and CO2 emissions compared to conventional automatic transmissions with fuel efficiency bettered by as much as 17 percent.

Thanks for the information sarathlal.

Duster is reported to be a very comfortable car to ride, good suspension. IMO, more than an AT, Duster needs more modern looks and premium interiors. These two improvements (without sacrificing the riding comfort) are enough to make it sell few times more than the present volumes.

And duel clutch reminds me the troubles of Volkswagen DSG.

[lamborghini]

This is reassuring news! The duster is a tough car, with amazing ride and handling balance. In fact, it is almost perfect as a daily drive owing to its compact dimensions, tough nature, ability to tackle all sorts of roads, and above average reliability.
It's biggest drawback was the heavy clutch and poor service. While service still seems to be an issue, with an auto gearbox, the car is going to be a lot more friendlier to live with in the city traffic.

In fact, if it does happen - I hope to see one in the garage soon. A/T, reliable, comfortable, decent to drive = perfect beater for the house!

[BUXX]

This needs to be priced a few notches below the Creta Auto; otherwise its doomed.

[itwasntme]

Looks like a 100% lift-and-shift from the Brazil model. Unsure if it looks good actually.

Really wonder why such huge MNCs move so slowly to combat serious threats like the Creta. They could have done this months ago instead of holding lucky draws for Duster buyers to go to Gir and Kruger :-)

[pgsagar]

Originally Posted by geotracks

Good to see that Renault has finally decided to introduce facelift along with AT gearbox. They should have done this much earlier when Duster sales were high so that they could have maintained the lead.

Now Creta has taken the lead with AT gearbox in the diesel compact SUV segment.

Not sure why Renault delayed this so much, since the AT gearbox was already available in many other countries on the Renault Duster.

You are spot on. They could have launched an AT variant when Duster was all the rage. But no, they won't. They all need a kick on their posteriors by Maruti or Hyundai to wake up. And now seeing Creta AT doing well, they sit up. Even now it is not too late but we do not know how many months they will take to get their act together.

[powertrain]

This seems to be a classic example of "Too little,too late."
Renault could have very well launched the AT as well as the AWD version in 2012 itself. Especially when they had all the hardware with themselves. This could have given them a headstart.
Now the latest flavor of the season is the Creta. Whatever said, it will be difficult for Renault shift the eyeballs from Creta to Duster. People will always prefer a newer model to an older one. Unless it comes with a killer pricing(which I don't think will happen), the Duster will have a hard time.

Regards,
Varun

[igp_79]

Looks like the covered dash still loses out on climate control. Feature rich cars capture the public attention. Look at the ford cousins. Renault is not doing enough to upgrade the interiors which is the only sore point for potential duster customers. AT, i think is a niche proposition which will appeal to a few. But most customers buy a well equipped car with a stick shift. The duster and terrano are the only cars, and now, the only cars across two segments lesser than them that do not offer climate control and electric retract orvms. Come on renault it doesn't take too much to sort these things.

[pgsagar]

Originally Posted by igp_79

... AT, i think is a niche proposition which will appeal to a few...

I don't think it is niche any more. I see many around me thinking of replacing their cars with ATs when they next change car. And in case of diesel SUVs, which inherently have hard clutch, I think AT is even more important. See how many people complain of hard Duster clutch. I think stick-shift would be fun on high-revving petrol 2-door coupes like Nissan 370Z etc. But even likes of these cars now come only with AT. Not to start an AT versus MT debate here, but in our chaotic mad-rush traffic, AT makes much more sense. Completely free left arm and left leg and one less chore to bother about while driving and focus on traffic ahead. I just llllove it.

[shashanka]

Perhaps the reason is not far to seek. Its been hardly a fortnight since the launch of the TUV300 - and its AMT version! Going by the press & media reports so far, it may be safe to assume that the TUV300 is likely to be more successful commercially, than M&M's earlier ventures - the Quanto & the Xylo.

Under the circumstances, is it any wonder that Renault maybe getting anticipatory cold feet - and preparing for the future?